


Idiot's Array

by Fairleigh



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Life Lessons, Sabacc, Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-01-31 07:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18586375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairleigh/pseuds/Fairleigh
Summary: Lando tried to teach Ben how to play sabacc. He may or may not have succeeded.





	Idiot's Array

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucymonster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucymonster/gifts).



There were certain extremely important things in life that Han lacked the patience to teach his son.

How to win at sabacc, for example. _That_ , as far as the one and only Baron Administrator of Cloud City on Bespin was concerned, rated practically as child neglect. And so, Lando Calrissian took it upon himself to remedy this lamentable gap in the young Ben Solo’s education.

“I’ll stand,” Ben announced. He didn’t bother to conceal the self-satisfaction in the tone of his voice.

Inwardly, Lando sighed and shook his head. Ben was a smart kid, no question, and he had a good head for the math involved in tracking which cards had already been played, which cards were still in the deck, and which cards were most likely being held in the hand of an opponent. Moreover, his talent with the Force gave him an unearned advantage as a mind-reader which, were it known, would result in a blanket ban from casinos throughout the galaxy.

Unfortunately, though, Ben had absolutely no talent whatsoever for the art of the bluff. Each and every one of his thoughts was as plain as the overlarge nose on his face. At the moment, he looked positively triumphant.

“I’ll give you five seconds to reconsider,” Lando said.

“Why would I want to do that?” A flash of irritation, but Ben’s confidence did not waver.

“Three seconds.”

“No.”

“Two.”

“You don’t have anything! You’re just stalling!” Now that was _real_ anger. Oh dear.

Without further ado, Ben slammed his sabacc cards down onto the table. He had 23. A perfect hand. Pure Sabacc — virtually unbeatable.

Virtually.

Lando actually sighed aloud this time as he showed Ben his own hand: a 2 of Coins, a 3 of Flasks — Ben snorted and rolled his eyes because these cards together were worth _nothing_ — plus the Idiot.

It was an Idiot’s Array, the only hand in the game that could beat Pure Sabacc. Lando had won.

“It’s not enough to keep track of the deck, and I’ve been playing high-stakes tables with mind-readers for longer than you’ve been alive,” Lando explained. Experience made him confident, and Lando was always confident when playing sabacc, no matter how far up or down he was at the moment, or how objectively good or bad his cards. Mind-readers could therefore read his confidence … and little else. But as for Ben? “Your emotions are far too easy to read, Ben. To win at sabacc, you _must_ learn to control your face.”

Ben flushed crimson with rage. Without another word, he stormed off to his room to sulk. The bedroom door shut with a loud slam.

“Good game,” Lando called out. “Play again sometime?”

~*~*~

“I’ll stand.”

The crowd gathered around the sabacc table to watch began to murmur excitedly. This was to be the big moment of truth. Few people in the galaxy would risk playing such a high-stakes game with high-up muckity-muck First Order enforcers like Kylo Ren. Who knew what would happen if they lost …?

Lando Calrissian was one of those few, and he wasn’t worried. His opponent might have played the entire game wearing a mask, but Ren’s emotions were still shamefully easy to read. He’d been nothing but angry, angry, _angry_ the entire evening. Lando had loads of experience beating angry opponents; his confidence was, as ever, unwavering.

So he shrugged and, without ceremony, revealed his hand: He had -23. A perfect hand. Pure Sabacc — virtually unbeatable.

“Good game — ” Lando started.

Ren interrupted Lando’s standard graceful-in-victory speech and slammed his own cards so hard down onto the table that Lando felt the floor beneath his feet shake. Ren had a 2 of Sabers, a 3 of Staves — and Lando had to forcibly lock his jaw to prevent it from dropping in sheerest astonishment — plus the Idiot.

An Idiot’s Array. Lando would be losing everything but the clothes on his back tonight. Literally. Well, at least the cape was custom-tailored and one-of-a-kind and worth a small city on the Outer Rim. It could be worse. But it was a big setback, no question. It would be a long and difficult struggle for Lando to recover from this.

And besides, he didn’t like losing to this First Order stooge.

“Who’s the idiot now, Calrissian?” Ren sneered.

Lando stared at the blank, matte black of Ren’s mask. The situation was almost incomprehensible. Ren had been genuinely angry the whole time? Even _while_ holding an unbeatable hand like that? Lando could think of only one other person alive who’d ever been _that_ angry all the time, but he was … he wasn’t a … no, surely not …

“Good game,” Ren said, rising from the table and interrupting Lando’s thoughts before they could take full form. “Play again sometime?”


End file.
